Gym or a round of jogging – which training method ensures a deeper sleep? Researchers have now found an answer as to whether strength training or endurance sports help better against sleep disorders.
Exercising during the day is a great way to get really tired at night. Those who have physically exhausted themselves fall asleep faster and sleep better. Everyone knows that from their own experience. Only sport is not just sport. Iowa State University has now investigated which training method improves sleep quality most effectively. The finding: Strength training such as weight lifting or push-ups works best against sleep disorders. The reason for this is probably in the muscles.
Study with over 386 overweight women and men
For the study, the researchers recruited 386 overweight adults. They all suffered from high blood pressure, were mostly sedentary, and a large proportion reported struggling with insomnia. All participants were randomly divided into three groups for twelve months, each of which trained three times a week for 30 minutes as follows:
- The first group trained on treadmills or stationary bicycles, i.e. they pursued classic endurance sports
- The second group did strength exercises on leg presses, chest presses, abdominal presses, etc. to target different muscle groups
- The third group trained in a combination of both
- The fourth group, as the control group, did not engage in any physical activity
Preliminary study results were presented March 3 at the American Heart Association’s 2022 Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health Conference.
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Sleep 40 minutes longer thanks to the bench press
Among the 42 percent of participants who reported having trouble sleeping at the start of the study, the group that only did strength training increased their sleep time by an average of 40 minutes, according to the university’s announcement . The endurance group slept an average of 23 minutes longer, while the combination group slept 17 minutes longer. Interestingly, sleep quality improved in all four groups, including the one that didn’t exercise at all. So it’s still better to go jogging for healthy sleep than to stay on the couch.
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Why strength training is particularly good for insomnia
Study leader Angelique Brellenthin suspects that tiny tears in muscles caused by resistance training may require more sleep to heal properly: «Because resistance training is a powerful stimulus that stresses muscle tissue, it can send a stronger signal to the brain that that person is sleeping and moving forward have to sleep deeply. In this way, the muscle tissue is repaired and is optimally prepared for the next training session.” Her recommendation: “People who are worried about their sleep and only have little time to train should consider joining the gym.” Because those who suffer from a permanent lack of sleep has an extremely increased risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, hardening of the arteries and thus also strokes.